Hunt apparel junkies unite!

[Corky]

So I know I’m not alone in this, but I have A LOT of hunt clothing. Not nearly as much as I’d like, but definitely more than I can wear on any given day. I can’t be the only collector out there, so I want to hear what is in your closets so I know I’m not alone!

I have four pairs of tall boots, I was at six pairs at one point so this is getting better, currently one pair dress boots, one pair p/u field, one zip field and one brown field. Hoping to sell the brown field and probably the zips too though, so then I’d be at a more than reasonable 2 pairs.

I have three black coats, four if you count the one that is on semi-permanent loan to a student. One vintage, maybe antique UK melton heavyweight, one vintage custom tailored mid-weight (w my colours on it) and one lightweight frock.

I collect vintage bar pins as stock pins, not as traditional as some would like, but I enjoy a little flash of colour or a beautifully hand crafted silver too much not to wear them anyway! Probably 15 or so pins, some are costume jewellery, some are probably worth a few pennies.

I only have one hunt vest, a canary vest that my mom had made when she was hunting. It was made my a seamstress who was a family friend, so despite not fitting me perfectly, it will never leave. I am lusting after a tattersal though!

I LOVE looking in antique shops and tack swaps for vintage hunt things, and I’ve found a few things that are absolute steals. My midweight coat was $45 in a consignment shop, and I lent it to a friend who was without one hunt, she offered me $250 on the spot! Said it was the nicest tailored coat she had ever put on, but I wouldn’t sell it for that very reason. I found my Vogel dress boots in great shape for $60. I often pick up tweeds for a song and will sell them on, making a few bucks in the process, just so that I know they go to loving homes! I understand why people go antiquing or to flea markets, because I have the same interest in tack swaps, consignment shops and ebay!

So do share, what is in your hunting closet? What are your best finds? Am I the only on that gets excited when I see a tweed stuffed in a dusty corner?

[Painted_Wings]

Me too

I have 3 pair black dress boots, one with patent tops
1 pair mountain horse boots for cold days
1 pair brown dress boots
1 pair brown field boots
3 black hunt jackets with colors and buttons
1 black hunt jacket without colors
2 canary vests
2 robins egg blue vests - our hunt colors
3 tattersall vests - different colors
15 colored stock ties - I make them myself
3 white stock ties
9 tweed cubbing coats (at least)

Most of my tweeds came from Ebay but a few have been custom ordered from Bookster or Alexander James.

Can’t even start to count pairs of breeches.

This does not count my eventing clothes or my beagling and basseting clothes.

[Hinderella]

I’m new to hunting, but every time I go to VA on one of the CotH hunts, I seem to come home with something extra, and of course there’s always some new treasure on eBay!
So I have three pairs of dress boots (two of which I have to sell, one’s too big, one’s too small), black field boots, brown field boots, two tweed hacking jackets, two black melton hunt coats (one is too small, but a girl can hope) a beautiful frock coat, canary vest and several lovely stock ties.
And of course, gloves and helmet

[2ndyrgal]

Oh, my… where to start.

Let’s just say that I ordered so much yummy stuff from Horse Country this year they sent me a thank you gift.

I only have two pairs of boots, since my feet are small one brown field, one black dress.

I have 3 Melton coats and 7 hacking jackets. I probably have a dozen colored stocks, and a dozen white. I canary vest, 3 tattersall plaid.

Gloves are an addiction, since my hands are small, I buy when I find ones that fit well.

I have three hunting saddles and about 10 bridles.

Currently one wonderful horse and

One Fabulous Husband!!!

[Equibrit]

I have a collection of about 30 whips. Since I dont hunt any more they don’t get much daylight, and I could probably generate some readies by letting my unfavourites go.

[Melevents]

I unfortunately do not own a coat, I borrow a hacking jacket when its cold. And I do not own a vest at all. Negative on the whip too. Luckily, I have a super friend who always has extras for me to borrow [edit]

[Major_Mark]

The problem is a good opportunity comes along to get a better pair of boots, and you get them, but can’t just throw out the old because they’re still usable, and the boots accumulate…

Needed new pair of dress boots for an England/Ireland trip. Was measured for Vogels, ordered them, but they were delayed, so I got a pair of off the peg boots. Vogels eventually showed up, so the off the peg boots got brown tops put on, so they replaced the cheap PVC dress boots I had Skeeter put brown tops on because I needed brown tops on short notice. And I recently splurged on a proper pair of Dehner brown tops before I moved on to retirement poverty. So, three brown tops reside in the closet.

Plus, got a cheap pair of nice polo boots (bright light tan), dyed them dark brown, and they were my ratcatcher boots for years, and are still quite nice, but I got a proper pair of Dehner brown Field boots (again, prepping for retirement) so now I have a closet with half a dozen pairs of riding boots floating around. And for the past 10 years they’ve only been worn during hunt season.

When I get the farm going, and the horses are installed, I’ll get to ride every day again and start using up the current surplus of boots. Til then I have to dodge accusations of being a boot fetishist.

Only four hunt coats, half dozen breeches (including two buckskin), hunt cap, top hat, brown cover for hunt cap (nice one too, got it at a trade show), two vests, cheep-cheep stock shirts (buy white dress shirts and cut off the top half of the collar!) and various spurs, crops., etc. etc.

[JSwan]

Like everyone else I’ve accumulated just about everything. I’m always on the lookout for the ultimate bargain, the odd find in a dusty corner of an antique shop or estate sale…

And one simply must have spares of everything, plus extra stuff in case something happens to the spares, then there is stuff that you keep around in case a friend wants to cap…

[wateryglen]

I refuse…

I refuse to do a list for all you nosey people for crying out loud!! :winkgrin::D:lol: Besides…it would totally scare the crap outa me…and I’ve thinned it down over the years too.
But…Equibrit wins!!! whip wise I mean!!
She who dies with the most leather wins!! Thats my motto! Substitute “hunting stuff” and we’d all be there! For me; it’s the ever increasing/decreasing sizes that make my clothing collection big. But then one just has to have spares…

[fuzzydise]

Brown boots

Does anyone have any brown field boots they want to sell? more specifically in a size 9 or 9 1/2 ?? Send me a private message!

[Hinderella]

These are not mine, but they are a nice pair on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DERS-CUSTOM-MADE-FIELD-BOOTS-BROWN-CALFSKIN-GORGEOUS-/330692182889?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfeca4369

Keep watching, they do pop up every now & then!

[hey101]

@Melevents;6159253

I unfortunately do not own a coat, I borrow a hacking jacket when its cold. And I do not own a vest at all. Negative on the whip too. Luckily, I have a super friend who always has extras for me to borrow, but I would like my own. Usually wear small to medium tops and size 6 bottoms. So if anyone is looking to downsize, please let me know.=)

Melevents, after I got bit by the hunting bug, I outfitted myself pretty nicely via ebay. I got an absolutely gorgeous heavy wool BNWT melton for $100, the tag when it arrived said $400. I also went a bit of a unique route on the vest and found a beautiful Burberry plaid (their classic yellow plaid) vest that I paid $10 on ebay. It’s not the ~classic~ tattersall plaid, but I have gotten compliments on it at probably half the hunts I’ve gone to.
I found two really nice tweed coats in a thrift store nearby for $4 and $9, respectively. I bought some horse-head buttons on ebay and my mom graciously sewed them on for me, and now every hunt I switch back and forth as to which tweed I wear.

Now that I’ve hunted two seasons, I’m starting to think about appointments. I have a really nice stainless flask so I don’t think I’ll go for the glass flask/ leather case, but I was thinking about a nice sandwhich case, so I can carry the flask and a bottle of water too. Anyone have any suggestions about the best place to buy one? I looked at Foxhuntingshop.com, but wasn’t blown away.
Besides flasks/ sandwhich cases, what other appointments would people have?

[jawa]

The guy who does the leather work for Colonial Williamsburg makes a nice case. I don’t know his name as a friend of a friend picked it up for me.

I would imagine you could google CW and get in touch with someone who could either pass along a message or give you contact information.

[lily04]

Bartville Harness makes sandwich cases, wire cutter cases and hunt whips. They are very reasonably priced and well made.

[hey101]

Thank you so much lily04, I’ve just called and ordered a Bartville catalog. I actually used to live near them and recognized the name as soon as I read your post. Maybe one of the times I’m back in the area visiting friends and fam, I will have the chance to drop by the store.

I’ll check out CW as well. :yes:

I have to say, I’m in awe of the wardrobes some of you have accumulated! I wonder how much work it would be to set up a hunt-based tack swap here on COTH… would that violate advertising? Would people be interested? If not kosher here on COTH, maybe it could go offline to a Facebook group or something.

[AnotherRound]

test post

[Hinderella]

hey101, I think the problem with a swap is that we’re all tack hoarders who would be loathe to let anything go!

[retreadeventer]

[QUOTE=Equibrit;6157682]
I have a collection of about 30 whips. Since I dont hunt any more they don’t get much daylight, and I could probably generate some readies by letting my unfavourites go.[/QUOTE]

30? Oh Equibrit, I would love to find a good used hunt whip someday. You must send me a picture of one of your “unfavorites”!

[Beverley]

Gee. I only have three hunting whips.

Boots: Two pair brown field (one pair made circa 1920s, the ‘new’ pair from Loeb, 1971, finally successfully swiped from college roommate about 5 years ago.

Two pair black boots w/brown tops, one being the Dehners, only custom pair I’ve ever bought.

Three pair black dress boots. Maybe four. I did give away a pair at the barn last year, they had been given to me a few years ago but were too big.

Still only have one tweed coat, 3 or 4 black coats in varying weights, one scarlet coat that was made in Ireland the year I was born, bought it off of a retired master in the mid 80s since I needed one for whipping in.

Shirts, stocks, breeches. Lots. Tan, canary and white breeches. Including a canary pair with price tag still on, don’t know why I have those as they weren’t ever my size (too short in leg) but they sit pristine in the closet nevertheless.

I think I only have two canary vests. And only a few pair of gloves. Definitely only one pair of white string gloves.

And I still have my bowler and old hunt cap.

[Moderator_1]

No problem sharing details about your tack hoards, or asking for general recommendations of where to find items, but please avoid specific “wanted” posts, per our no-advertising policies. Those need to go in the classifieds section.

We’ve removed/edited a couple of posts.
Thanks!
Mod 1